10 December 2018
One thing I will miss when this gig finishes up next year is my monthly President’s Breakfasts at Chianti.
I doubt that statement surprises anyone, but its more than just my delight in their various versions of morning eggs. The President’s Breakfast is an opportunity to gather together an invited group of people from within and beyond our profession to informally discuss a topic of mutual interest. Always of course a topic which brings opportunity, or bears responsibility from our members.
This last week the topic was education. The table included invited guests from within government as well as Catholic education, educational planning and of course a number of architects. The discussion was enjoyable and free flowing but pleasingly much like my omelette, also full of content.
A number of key themes struck me which offer direct opportunity for our members to assist, contribute and benefit.
The first is the same old chestnut we stumble across unendingly… what is the value of architecture? How do we measure value and how do we prove it?
The starting point for the conversation was that everyone at the table was convinced of the value which good design brings to the opportunities for learning. However, while the cost effectiveness of a building, or the results of NAPLAN may be measurable, the table agreed that the more intangibles of engagement, personalisation, enthusiasm and well being are in fact some of the most beneficial outcomes of great architecture in a learning setting and currently are not quantified effectively against arguments of cost efficiency, and these are the arguments held at decision making levels.
A really great outcome of the conversation was a commitment for government, A4LE and the Institute to collaboratively progress research in this area starting this year!Perhaps the research is in fact out there, perhaps the systems are already in place elsewhere, but there is opportunity and imperative to find or generate the position for us here in SA.
This discussion led to the impact that fitout and furniture can have in increasing value outcomes and then progressed to the challenges and opportunities of mass customisation and volume prefabrication which we are seeing interstate already in order to meet demand within cost and programme imperatives.
The incredible thing for a state which mourns the loss of its manufacturing industry and in which reside many people with great fabrication skills… is that there was a sense that we did not offer the educators and designers the choices they sought in a local context.
There is a real and present opportunity here to garner the talents left by the automotive industry and others and to work in conjunction with educators and architects to see South Australia embrace world leading design and production of FF+E which lifts the value of learning settings.
This can be another focus for the Institute next year, to seek to partner with government in the first instance to compose an engagement process which will allow design, production and learning to work together on case study projects to establish these alliances. Case studies would enable prototyping and research so that the effectiveness of alternate learning settings can be investigated, and where successful validated and measured. The skills of our members working in collaboration would allow us to explore new ideas and also to document, display and communicate the design and operational elements which make them successful for future creators and users.
It is rewarding for the Institute to be able to see the desire and also the opportunity in one place at one time so that our members can assist with tangible, meaningful contributions that support our values and help us to support our value proposition.
If this is an area of interest for you, we welcome your contact to assist.
Mario Dreosti
SA Chapter President